Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to power generation systems.
2. Description of the Background
The largest heat engines in modern society are the steam engines used in electric power plants to drive an AC generator and produce electricity. About eighty-five percent of the electricity in the United States is produced by such steam enginesxe2x80x94the other fifteen percent being generated by water power in hydroelectric plants.
In a typical steam electric power plant, a heat source is used to heat water in a boiler. The heat source is usually either the combustion of a fossil fuel such as coal, oil, or natural gas, or the fission of uranium 235. The heated water in the boiler is converted into high-temperature, high pressure steam. Nuclear power plants typically have a reactor core in which water is heated into steam. The steam expands and cools as it passes through a turbine, converting the heat energy into mechanical energy of a rotating shaft of the turbine. The rotating shaft of the turbine drives a generator which converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy, typically AC, that is supplied to energy customers via a power distribution system.
Such power plants are rather inefficient. Indeed, the typical efficiencies for steam electric plants are about forty percent. Moreover, these types of power plants contribute to the usurpation of precious natural resources.
Accordingly, there exists a need for alternative power generation sources.
According to one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a power generation system. The system includes a magnetically-actuated turbine having a rotating shaft and a generator connected to the turbine. The generator includes a rotor connected to the rotating shaft, a stator co-axially aligned with the rotor, at least one brush connected to the rotor and extending to an inner surface of the stator, at least one thermoelectric junction on an outer surface of the stator, and a hard magnetic casing co-axially aligned with the stator.
In contrast to prior art power generation systems, the present invention provides an efficient mechanism for powering devices requiring electrical energy. According to one embodiment, the power generation system of the present invention may be advantageously used to power, for example, a house or an automobile, with a relatively small DC voltage source. These and other benefits of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description hereinbelow.